This is an irregular post, a thing I don't do without reason - not a review as such, but rather an exhortation to buy the Rubberbandits' single between now and the 23rd. "Horse Outside" is its name, and you can buy it in record stores or on iTunes.

You may remember that last year, there was a campaign to usurp Simon Cowell's flavour of the month with "Killing in the Name Of" by Rage Against the Machine. This was successful in the UK, but in Ireland the hordes of tween girls overcame the more alternative among us to put that wholly forgettable X-factor winner, Joe McElderry,...

Lucy Foley's first album, recorded in New York and Co Clare and inspired by the time she spent in Denmark, is a good record to return with, after my long absence. Lucy Foley is offbeat, edgy and refreshing.

There's a lot to like about Lucy Foley. She doesn't seem to fit neatly into any genre, the whole album seems interwoven into a tapestry, and she manages to maintain her rhotic Irish accent. Her laid-back style reminds me of Susie Wilkins, a London-based artist whose music I lived on for a few weeks after I saw her supporting Joe Jackson.

Lisa Cuthbert obviously owes something to Dolores O’Riordan and company, but her music definitely stands on its own as both novel and emotionally engaging. From the anger of “My Material Girl” to the desperation of “Second Leaving”, this highly impressive debut album will catch you between its crystal highs and throaty lows.

The artist was born and bred in Dublin, and initially earned a reputation for her diverse repertoire, including a number of Metallica covers. Last year she recorded her first EP, Ready to Unfold, and with it she began to explore a more pensive style, which retains the occasional vein of...

Artist: Kowalski
Release: Take Care, Take Flight (EP)
County of Origin: Down
Genre: Indie-Disco
The Freshly Squeezed Rating: 3.5 drops out of 10

Kowalski are the epitome of well-polished - although 'Get Back' seems slightly discordant to me - but entirely uninteresting music. Their music is occasionally good, sometimes original - but never both at the same time.

This particular brand of Indie, entirely lacking personality or bravery, especially irritates me. The very essence of Indie music is the struggle for independence and individuality, and this band is the type of timorous conformity and of seeking the centre. Kowalski offends me by its excessive desire not to offend anyone at all. The death of Indie lies in this sort of pathetic appeasement of the musically ignorant.

When I began to listen to this release, my first thought was that the music was too modest, that the band only needed to expand a little, to muster a little courage and to come out with a really powerful album. Having listened to it a number of times, however (and it definitely needs time) I've decided this band is perfectly mature: their style isn't assuming, but it's still very powerful, in its own slow but momentous way. Citing Neil Young and Leonard Cohen as their influences, they remind me of a melancholic Yusuf Islam.

Boa Morte formed in Cork in 1998, but haven't released anything for a number of years....

Milan Jay (is it really his name? Doubtful, but you never know) supposedly spent 18 months putting this, his debut album, together. I can't vouch for its originality - although in an interesting twist the artist proclaims that he isn't really into Electronic music, 'it's just what he came out with'.

The album isn't bad, and in fact it's great background music, it has energy, and the artist himself has it spot on when he describes it as "music for 10 hours at 30,000...

Welcome to Freshly Squeezed Irish, the new CLUAS blog penned by Philip McDonald! The focus here will be on bringing you the best new Irish music you've never heard. Bands who would like to featured on this blog should drop Philip a line via this dedicated page. Be sure as well to sign up for the Freshly Squeezed Irish RSS feed!